Yes, you learn that accurately: Microsoft has formally launched an internet browser for Linux. Ars Technica reports the software program behemoth has lastly released its first secure model of Edge for Linux. The Chromium-based browser is accessible both by Microsoft’s website (in .deb and .rpm codecs) or by the command line utilizing a Linux bundle supervisor.

The Linux model has been a very long time in coming. Microsoft was testing the Edge variant in its Dev and Beta channels for a couple of yr, and it is arriving greater than two years after the Mac and Windows variations. It’s not clear what prompted the wait, though Linux has traditionally had little client PC market share.

The function parity is basically intact, a minimum of. You unsurprisingly will not discover an Internet Explorer compatibility mode (solely Windows has that), however you possibly can sync tabs, bookmarks, passwords and extensions. This could also be your browser of selection if you happen to use Linux on a private system however need the browser setup out of your Windows PC at work.

The launch is symbolic of how Microsoft’s relationship with Linux has modified over time. The firm was notoriously antagonistic within the early 2000s, when CEO Steve Ballmer known as Linux “a cancer” on mental property and in any other case handled it as a menace to Windows. Internet Explorer successfully served as a deterrent to would-be Linux switchers as many IE-optimized websites would not run correctly on Linux browsers with out important effort, in the event that they ran in any respect.

Flash ahead twenty years and it is a totally different story. The firm is now rather more targeted on companies than Windows, and which means making choices like Microsoft 365 and Windows 365 as accessible as doable. Microsoft must be pleasant to Linux customers to maintain them from utilizing rivals like Google Workspace — Edge for Linux might be worthwhile if it results in years of subscription charges, even when customers don’t have any plans to modify to Windows.